Adopt An Olive Tree — Plus A Food Gal Giveaway

How would you like to be a proud parent of a budding, baby olive tree?

You can, thanks to Nudo-Italia, an artisan olive oil company founded by Jason Gibb and Cathy Rogers, former TV producers who chucked it all to restore an abandoned 21-acre olive grove in Italy’s Le Marche.

Besides selling wonderful olive oils, they offer a unique program in which anyone around the world can adopt an olive tree for a year. The project is a collaboration between Nudo and small-scale artisan olive oil producers in Le Marche and Abruzzo.

The company’s new spring “adoption box” ($97) includes a personalized adoption certificate and booklet that describes your tree, one 250ml tin of first cold press extra virgin olive oil, three 500ml tins of first cold press extra virgin olive oil from your adopted tree, an invitation to come visit your tree, and a “Grow Your Own Olive Tree in a Tin” with growing instructions. It’s a gift that definitely keeps on giving.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will get a chance to try out their green thumb on their own “Grow Your Own Olive Tree in a Tin” (a $7.49 value). Stick it on a windowsill or kitchen ledge, then water. Who knows — this cute little thing might even bear some fruit.

Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST March 31. Winner will be announced April 2.

How to win?

Just tell me about something you’re proud of growing — whether it be a plant, an idea, a relationship or you name it.

Here’s my own answer:

“When I got the call at work many years ago that my Mom had suffered a stroke, a feeling of total helplessness washed over me. I raced to the hospital, but not before stopping at a local flower store to buy a plant for her. I don’t know why I did that. I guess I was just conditioned that when you go to a hospital to see someone who’s ailing, you bring something to hopefully cheer them up. The plant remained by her bedside throughout her stay there, then came home with her. My Mom always had a way with plants. She could grow anything — even tomatoes inside our dining room, whereas I have been known to kill cactus and ivy, which are considered indestructible. Under her care, that little plant flourished and grew green and tall. After she passed away, I took possession of that plant again, hoping against all hope that I could keep it looking as vibrant as she had. It’s now eight years old — still alive and healthy. I’ve killed many a plant in my day. But I am truly proud that this one, which forever reminds me of my late-Mom, continues to thrive against all odds.”

9 comments

What a great company! I love the idea. I’d have to say something I’m proud of growing is my blog. I love the community, learning how to cook new foods, and just having something to look forward to at the end of my day!

I’m proud of growing my creativity! I used to think( for many years) that because I was so logical and couldnt draw or paint that I was completely devoid of creativity! How glad I am to discover I was wrong!

What a touching story! I have no green thumb but I do enjoy “growing” my skills in the kitchen. I’m just so proud of the fact that someone who was as clueless to cooking as I was can now whip up such delicious meals and treats! I’m also very proud of the growth of my blog and smile every time I see how many posts I have reached. It really is my pride and joy and something I’ve worked very hard to accomplish!

There’s two great ideas here. The first is the lifestyle change to live in Italy on a 21 acre olive farm and the second is the idea of adopting an olive tree. I would love my very own olive tree in my very own backyard xx

I wish I had a green thumb, not much does well in my house except a bamboo plant that I have had for 6 years. It’s the only plant that I have managed to keep alive!! I would love to try the olive plant

I’ve been growing good soil! It seems kind of strange to think about growing dirt, but all the plants I plant and every gardening product I use build the soil. We cook a ton in this house and just about all our food scraps go to the compost or to our hens, thus building better soil. When we first moved into this old 50s tract house in the valley, the backyard was paved and bricked over. The soil was compacted gray clay, there were a few scraggly decorative trees, and there wasn’t a worm in sight. With a lot of heavy labor my husband and I have changed it into a thriving garden that grows a small amount of our house’s food, complete with three spoiled pet chickens. My kids go out into the garden after school and munch on sugar snap peas and peer at the worms, ladybugs, and hundreds of bugs that now populate our tiny backyard. There’s even a red-breasted house finch that just took up residence above some grape vines. The soil is rich and dark and full of worms – great for growing all sorts of delicious things.
Guess I’m pretty proud of my patch of dirt!

I would really like some of Rena’s dirt! Last year my husband and I moved to a new house, leaving behind the gardens that we’d lovingly slaved over through our newlywed years. During the move, I found out I was pregnant, due in March. I figured that would be a perfectly timed maternity leave to get started on our new garden at our new house. March came along with my bundle of joy but I guess new motherhood got the best of me. I watched my chosen garden site become overgrown with weeds while all of my newly purchased seed packets went untouched. My bee hive remained empty (forgot to order a new box of bees and had lost our hive over the winter), and the few seedlings that i had started early in the house kept drying up – failure! I couldn’t keep up. However, I am quite proud of growing the happiest baby boy, who just turned one. Now I’m expecting my second baby in July, and am once again expecting a bountiful maternity leave. I’ve planted my seedlings, ordered new bees, mapped out the garden for my loving husband to get started on the digging and building. I’m CERTAIN this will be a good garden year, but even if it isn’t, I’m completely in awe of the growth of my healthy baby boy, – and now with the second big growth of my belly – this year will be a success no matter what.

I have a similar experience with plants, I can kill anything- even healthy plants that I have taken in from friends (I have a habit of forgetting to water them).
I am very proud, however, of my garden in my front yard last spring/ summer. My husband and I were spending our first spring in a new house and as first-time homeowners, I really wanted to take advantage of the space and ability to actually have a real garden. We spent hours digging out everything in the front garden so that we could make it our own. I envisioned a garden bed full of colorful blooms- I even started marigold seeds early in our cramped kitchen. As it turned out it was not a full garden but the marigolds that I started from seed in my kitchen lasted and were big and beautiful- I was even able to harvest seeds from them for this coming spring- hopefully there will be even more to fill in the gaps that I had last year. I loved the beautiful yellow flowers against our blue house- and I look forward to even more.